What makes the perfect Olympian?THIS SUMMER, top athletes from around the world will converge on London to try (among other things) to run, swim, cycle and walk faster than ever recorded. To jump longer and higher, to throw further and to lift heavier weights.
The mystery of the Antarctic octopusSMALL PRINT: WHAT’S in an octopus? Not just brains to burn, but also significant new clues that could justify concerns about climate change.
Features »
Discover your genetic ancestorsWHOSE BLOOD courses through your veins? Could you be a descendant of a Viking warrior or a Berber pirate? Or perhaps you are related to the Uí Neill chieftains or the kings of Laighin (Leinster)?
- Breeding a better bee
Bees are under threat from a species of mite, but beekeepers in Tipperary are breeding bees that can resist the parasite, in an effort to save the prolific pollinators from extinction, writes EOIN BURKE-KENNEDY
Atomium Culture »
- Stem Cell Research to Speed Delivery of New MedicinesHAY (University of Edinburgh): While media headlines have largely focussed on the seemingly miraculous cures that transplanting stem cell therapies directly to patients may one day offer, in reality one of the most far-reaching benefits of stem cell research is likely to be the accelerated development of new drugs.
- Mission in space: effects on astronauts’ healthGUBBIOTTI (University of Rome “La Sapienza”): Human exploration of our solar system is an important objective for the European Space Agency (ESA) which has started on the path to making this a reality in the future. A successful space mission means ensuring the health of the crew for the duration of their journey and minimising the effects of spaceflight-induced deconditioning after returning to Earth.
- Peat moss: an eco-friendly solution to global warming?BLIEVERNICHT (Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin): 35 million square metres of white peat is used each year due to the physical and chemical properties of this limited natural resource. The process of harvesting peat is unsustainable and is destroying important ecosystems.
Comment »
- Religion and counselling do not mix
HISTORICAL TENSIONS between science and religion have been well documented, and have again been raised with regard to the practice of psychiatry, following the publication of a position statement by the Royal College of Psychiatrists (RCP) in London.
- New study shows gene link to IQ
THE RELATIVE extent to which human intelligence is determined by our genes and by our environment is an old debate – the “nature versus nurture” debate. The consensus, based largely on studies of twins, is that about 50 per cent of the variance in intelligence in the population is attributable to genetics and 50 per cent to environmental factors.
News »
- How love is blind for sperm
HOW DO SPERM swim? A new study highlights that the journey of human sperm toward the egg may not be straightforward.
How to get a head in evolutionSMALL PRINT: THE PLOVER bird gets a good meal while cleaning the crocodile’s teeth, and we all know the mutual benefits of the relationship between the flower and the honey bee. However, another striking example of symbiosis was outlined by US marine biologist Dr Tierney Thys on a visit to Ireland last week.
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